Mas Amedda
Mas Amedda is a recurring antagonist throughout the Star Wars franchise first appearing in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Meanace and has appeared in other installments of both the Prequel trilogy and other media such as Star Wars: The Clone Wars and various other comics in both Canon and Legends timelines. He is a Chagrian male politician who served as Vice Chancellor of the Galactic Republic during its final years and later became Grand Vizier of the Galactic Empire, as well as one of the closest advisors and right-hand men of Emperor Palpatine. He was portrayed by Jerome Blake in Episode I, David Bowers in Episode II, and by both in Episode III and voiced by Stephen Stanton in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Personality Senator Mas Amedda was greedy, ambitious and cowardly, vices that Palpatine (Darth Sidious) detected early in his career in the Senate; he appealed to Amedda’s ruthless desire for status in order to make him his right-hand man and help him topple Chancellor Finis Valorum. Once Palpatine became Chancellor, Amedda aided him in the Senate and did his best to push forward his public agenda and master plan to take over the galaxy. Following the formation of the Galactic Empire, Amedda happily took over as Grand Vizier and ran the day-to-day affairs of the Empire. Following the Battle of Endor and its aftermath, Mas Amedda became very desperate to maintain order in the failing Empire as he struggled to gain support from the surviving leaders of the Imperial Military and was desperate to have the New Republic approve of his surrender. He became suicidal and his attempts on his life forced his captors to take extreme measures. When he was found by the child assassins, he was broken and wanted to end everything. After he was rescued by the kids, his surrender was approved of and he had a great sense of relief now that the war was over, but it's unknown what became of Amedda after he became the figurehead of the powerless Coruscant Provisional Government. Canon Continuity Vice Chancellor of the Republic A canny Chagrian politician with impeccable skills, Mas Amedda served as Vice Chancellor of the Galactic Republic on Coruscant under Valorum where he kept order in debates. During Valorum's term as Supreme Chancellor, Mas Amedda was Vice Chair of the Senate and became embroiled in widespread rumors that he was on the payroll of the Trade Federation. Secretly, Amedda did everything in his power to tie up the Senate in endless debates that Valorum lost the support of many Senators. During the Naboo crisis, Amedda presided over the special session of congress alongside Chancellor Valorum and Staff Aide Sei Taria when Queen Amidala appeared before the Senate to plea for relief from the Trade Federation's predations. With Naboo suffering, the Senate debated its options but does not act. The Speaker, Amedda knew that this indecision would make Valorum look weak and ineffective but counseled him. The Queen moved for a motion of a Vote of No Confidence in Valorum's leadership following the Senate's inaction in response to the Invasion of Naboo. The Senate Chamber erupted into calls to vote immediately and Amedda called for order. Despite Valorum's fall from power, Amedda retained his post as Vice Chair under the ambitious new Chancellor, Senator Palpatine. Following Palpatine's election, Amedda continued to serve as Vice Chair for the duration of Palpatine's term as Chancellor. Amedda's booming voice often called for order when the partisan nature of the Republic's government degenerated into pointless bickering. In an alien gesture of authority, he would often punctuate such calls with a flicker of his long, forked tongue. The Vice Chancellor was also one of the few individuals who knew that Palpatine was a Sith Lord, and actively participated in the Chancellor's schemes as Speaker of the Senate, by helping him to gain more wartime powers through their manipulation of the Senate. During the Separatist Crisis, Amedda continued to play the role of loyal Vice Chair and worked with the Loyalist Committee and new Senior Aide Sly Moore from Umbara, to advise the Chancellor on how to manage the growing rift in the Republic. The Military Creation Act was highly debated by the Senate but Amedda and Palpatine worked to promote militarization through political manipulation. After an attempt on Padmé Amidala's life, Amedda escorted Amidala and the rest of the Loyalist Committee to a meeting with the Supreme Chancellor in the immediate aftermath. The discovery of a droid army on Geonosis, a clear threat from the Separatists, meant that action needed to be taken. Later a secret clone army was also discovered on the planet Kamino and a meeting was held in the Office of the Supreme Chancellor with the Jedi Council and Senators where Amedda was the first to suggest that Palpatine be granted emergency powers to handle the crisis. The Vice Chair suggested Senator Amidala would make the proposal if she was there, manipulating Representative Jar Jar Binks and arranged the Senate to vote that granted the Chancellor emergency powers. The Republic seized control of the clone army when a massive battle occurred on the planet Geonosis and the Clone Wars and officially been declared. Amedda joined the Chancellor and other Senators to observe the Grand Army assembling and deployed to war. Service During the Clone War Early into the war, a Zillo Beast was discovered on the planet Malastare and Chancellor Palpatine ordered that it be subdued and brought to Coruscant for further study with Amedda supporting the decision. Mas Amedda joined Palpatine and Doctor Sionver Boll when the beast arrived on Coruscant. When the Chancellor announced his decision to kill the Zillo Beast, Padmé Amidala spoke against it and Amedda dismissed her concerns wondering pointedly if she didn't have more pressing issues to deal with. During the war, a number of systems chose to remain neutral despite being members of the Senate and formed a council led by the Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore. When Death Watch posed a threat to Mandalore and the Duchess' government, Amedda and Palpatine pushed the Senate to authorize an occupation of Mandalore. In the Senate Chamber, Mas Amedda presided as Senators debated the possible occupation. Speaking from the podium, the Vice Chair dismissed Duchess Satine's determination to remain neutral as empty talk of an idealist, arguing for Republic intervention of the planet. After another assassination attempt on Satine's life happened, a meeting was held in the Chancellor's Office with the Duchess, Palpatine and Amedda who saw this as further proof that the Republic was needed to rein in Death Watch. The Duchess Satine's investigation revealed key evidence that led to an order for Republic forces to stand down and the Chancellor and Vice Chair offered a formal apology. As the war raged on, the Republic suffered increasing debts and costs and a bill was drafted to deregulate the Banking Clan in order to fiance the war. In a session of the Senate, the Vice Chair moderated a debate between Senators opposing the bill. Later the Chancellor and Vice Chair met with Senator Amidala about a peace proposal from the Separatist Senate but secretly Amedda assisted Palpatine and acted behind the scenes to thwart their efforts. After Senator Amidala gave a heartfelt speech about ending the war, the Chancellor met with Mas Amedda in his office ruminating about the power of a single senator can have over his own power, showing his true face for the first time. The Vice Chair asked what he intended to do and Palpatine decided to wait until fate—and the Senate—will work in his own favor once again. Amedda's strict ways often let Palpatine appear statesmanlike and reasonable by comparison a dynamic on display when the Supreme Chancellor offered consoling words to Padmé after the defeat of her bill to scale back war production. In the third year of the Clone Wars, a plot to kidnap the Supreme Chancellor was unearthed and was headed by criminal mastermind Moralo Eval and security was increased for the Chancellor and Vice Chair. Moralo managed to escape Republic custody and teamed with Cad Bane and an undercover Obi-Wan Kenobi where he tried to thwart their plot while the Chancellor traveled to Naboo for the Festival of Light with Mas Amedda by his side. Palpatine and Amedda arrived on Naboo with a security of shock troopers and Jedi protectors. Mas Amedda later acted as secret attendant to the Sith Lord and was summoned by Darth Sidious to arrange secret transport to Mandalore, which had been taken over by his former apprentice Darth Maul. Amedda later assisted in the Sith plot to take over the Banking Clan, using disgraced Senator Rush Clovis as an unwitting pawn in a conspiracy. During a meeting in the Chancellor's Office, Mas Amedda joined Palpatine and representatives from the Muun government to discuss new leadership of the Banking Clan. In a session of the Senate, the Vice Chair presided when Rush Clovis was nominated for the position of chairman and with some help from Senator Amidala, won the approval that was announced by Amedda. After the session, Mas Amedda returned to the Chancellor's Office with Palpatine and Anakin Skywalker when they received a transmission from Padmé who claimed Scipio had been invaded by the Separatists. With Senator Amidala captured, Amedda rushed to invoke an emergency session of the Senate where they voted to send aid to Scipio and rescue the senator. The aftermath of Scipio called for another Senate session with the Banking Clan ceding complete control of the Banks to Palpatine's Office that gave the Supreme Chancellor even more power over an increasingly militarized Republic. After a bombing of the Jedi Temple occurred, Ahsoka Tano, Anakin's apprentice, was arrested for her crimes of sedition against the Jedi Order and Republic. She was tried in a military tribunal where Mas Amedda presided serving as a bailiff for the court using his Speaker Staff to call for order under the Supreme Chancellor who served as judge. As a decision was reached, the Vice Chair handed Palpatine the verdict before Anakin interrupted the proceedings revealing the real culprit Jedi Padawan Barriss Offee who admitted to the bombings. Mas Amedda again assisted the Sith when they worked to cover Protocol 66 from the Jedi when a renegade clone killed Jedi Knight Tiplar during a campaign of the Ringo Vinda system. After ARC Trooper Fives uncovered the inhibitor chips in all clones, Palpatine ordered the clone be brought to the medical facility on Coruscant where Mas Amedda greeted the party of Jedi Master Shaak Ti and Kaminoan scientist Nala Se and escorted them into an operating chamber where the Supreme Chancellor awaited. After Fives was killed, a meeting was held in the Chancellor's Office with Palpatine, Amedda, and members of the Jedi Council where they both offered a false explanation to the clone trooper's madness, hiding the true nature of the inhibitor chips placed in each clone's brain, thereby protecting Protocol 66 and the Sith Lord's plan. When the spiritual Dagoyan Masters of the neutral world of Bardotta vanished, the Queen of Bardotta, Julia, called upon the Republic Senate for aid. During a session of the Senate, Mas Amedda stood in the podium next to the Supreme Chancellor when an immense hologram of Queen Julia dominated the Senate Chamber where she appealed for aid. Palpatine thanked the Queen and offered his hand-picked ambassadors of Bail Organa and Padmé Amidala. The Chancellor and Vice Chair were then puzzled when Julia rejected Senators Amidala and Organa as ambassadors and instead demanded that Jar Jar Binks be the Senate representative to handle the situation. Rise of the New Order In the final days of the Clone Wars, Mas Amedda remained by Palpatine's side when he enacted the last stages of his grand plan of galactic conquest. The Separatists manged to strike the Republic Capital and an assault of the planet occurred with General Grievous managing to abduct the Supreme Chancellor and Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker raced to rescue Palpatine and killed Count Dooku in the process. A few days after the Battle of Coruscant, Palpatine sought to draw Anakin into the Sith web, having groomed him as a new apprentice to replace Dooku. Amedda joined Palpatine in the Supreme Chancellor's box at the Galaxies Opera House watching the Mon Calamari ballet Squid Lake when Palpatine summoned Anakin Skywalker for a critical meeting. While discussing the location of General Grievous and the remaining Separatist leadership, Palpatine dismissed Amedda and Sly Moore so he could confer privately with the young Jedi Knight to whom he told the story of Darth Plagueis, his Sith Master, as part of his plan to seduce Skywalker to the dark side of the Force. A brief time later, following the death of General Grievous, the Jedi Council discovered Palpatine was the Dark Lord of the Sith who had secretly been behind everything including the war and a group of Jedi Masters, led by Mace Windu, attempted to arrest the Chancellor. Palpatine surprised them by igniting his own lightsaber, quickly slaying all three Jedi Masters but Mace Windu who engaged him in a lightsaber duel in the Chancellor's Office. Palpatine summoned aid from Anakin who betrayed Mace Windu allowing the Sith Lord to kill the Jedi. Anakin joined the Sith Lord as his apprentice, Darth Vader and Palpatine declared the Jedi enemies of the Republic and activated Order 66, an emergency protocol programed into the inhibitor chips that marked the Jedi as traitors that must be eliminated with extreme prejudice. On planets across the galaxy, clone troopers turned against their Jedi commanders and murdered them without hesitation. Sidious then ordered Darth Vader to the Jedi Temple and slaughtered all the Jedi there, assuring him that the deed will make him strong enough in the dark side to save Padmé. Accompanied by the 501st Legion, Vader and the troopers massacred the Jedi Order, even killing younglings who hid in the Council Chamber. With the Senate marginalized, Palpatine then sent Darth Vader to Mustafar where the Separatist leadership were hiding believing that the war was over and peace had been achieved. Following his Master's orders, Vader killed all the Confederacy leaders leaving Nute Gunray for last. While the massacre occurred, Mas Amedda invoked an extraordinary session of the Senate to announce the end of the Clone Wars and personally called members to attend including Bail Organa. The Chancellor addressed the Senate with Mas Amedda and Sly Moore standing by his side as he claimed an assassination attempt by treacherous Jedi had left him disfigured. He twisted information to his own advantage stating the Jedi tried to seize control of the Republic. Palpatine managed to convince most world leaders in the Senate and proclaimed the Republic into the First Galactic Empire and the majority of Senators responded with cheers and applause. After the Proclamation, Mas Amedda joined the Emperor in the holding office beneath the Senate Chamber where Sidious conferred with Darth Vader via hologram. Both were surprised when Master Yoda arrived and quickly dispatched the two Imperial Guards stationed to protect the new Emperor. Sidious then blasted Yoda with Force lightning sending him flying across the chamber and slamming into a wall. Mas Amedda then departed certain that his Sith Master would prevail against the Grandmaster of the nearly extinct Jedi Order. The epic lightsaber duel that followed progressed into the Chancellor's Podium, which rose up into the Senate Chamber. The fight ended in the main chamber when Yoda was beaten by Sidious' lightning attack and sent falling to the floor. Following the duel, Amedda joined Emperor Palpatine in a Senate pod tasking the clone shock troopers led by Commander Thire to scour the Senate for any traces of the fugitive Jedi Master Yoda's body. During the search, the Emperor ordered Amedda to contact his shuttle pilot, Captain Kagi, to prepare for travel to Mustafar. Grand Vizier of the Galactic Empire Mas Amedda retained his power in the Galactic Empire, serving as its Grand Vizier and earning a reputation as one of the Emperor's most-feared servants. Military leaders such as Grand Moff Tarkin heeded his summons on behalf of Palpatine, while greeting governors such as Lothal's Arihnda Pryce dreamed of being worthy of Amedda's attention. He continued to serve after the formation of the Galactic Empire, but his position was far less important than it had been in earlier years. Palpatine kept both Amedda and the Umbaran Staff Aide Sly Moore at his side, appointing them both to the original Imperial Interim Ruling Council. During the early years of the Empire, Amedda lead a large public rally where he presented a speech to a massive audience on the steps of the old Jedi Temple. The Grand Vizier proclaimed the end of "Jedi Tyranny" and the "liberation" of the people of the Galactic Empire. Amedda continued, flanked by clone troopers and Royal Guardsmen while the Imperial stormtroopers dumped a basket of lightsabers of the Jedi slain in the Jedi Temple during Order 66 into a large incinerator to be burned before the gathered crowd. Mas Amedda himself threw Yoda's confiscated lightsaber, lost during the duel in the Senate, into the incinerator. The Grand Vizier had the machine turned on, and the heat of the fire caused the crystals within the many lightsabers to explode producing a large energy discharge. The explosion caused Amedda and several clone troopers to be knocked down ending the public demonstration. A while later, Mas Amedda was present in the Emperor's Office on Coruscant with Tarkin as he reported on the progress of the construction of the Death Star to the Emperor. He reported that it would either meet or surpass expectations. The Grand Vizier asked Tarkin of the superlaser, to which the Moff stated that early tests were successful. However, they were interrupted when two Royal Guards were thrown against the office window, startling Amedda who then saw the heavily injured figure of Darth Vader. Tarkin expressed concern for the Emperor's safety, but he replied that he was safe. Amedda was then ordered by the Emperor to leave the office along with Moff Tarkin. Sometime after the first Death Star was destroyed by the Rebel Alliance, Mas Amedda was contacted on Coruscant by Commander Pasqual who informed him that the Emperor's personal craft, Imperialis, had been stolen under his watch. The Grand Vizier ordered Pasqual to recover the ship immediately and warned him there would be dire consequences if the shuttle was not recovered. Before ending the transmission, he reminded the commander that he had already failed in keeping the ship secured. Amedda then went before the Emperor informing him of some unfortunate news. Throughout the early rebellions and later the Galactic Civil War, Amedda served as the governing figure of the Empire while Palpatine did his own plans in private away from the Empire's eyes. After Palpatine's death on the Death Star II during the Battle of Endor and the deaths of most of the Imperial High Command, Amedda took over as Interim Leader of the Galactic Empire. Interim Leader of the Empire After the Battle of Endor, the Galactic Empire suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of the Rebel Alliance, the latter of which reformed into the New Republic and launched major offensive operations against the Empire, which began to crumble and fall apart all around it. Mas Amedda was the official interim leader following the Imperial chain of command, but held little power in reality as he was busy dealing with a civil war on the planet and the surviving leaders of the Imperial Military broke away from the chain of command and became warlords, securing control over their own regions, and generally acting on their own accord. Mas Amedda managed to contact the New Republic and said that he had the will to surrender, but admitted that he had now power and was told by Mon Mothma and Princess Leia to return when he regained control over the Imperial government. Not long afterwards, Amedda was arrested by Rae Sloane and Gallius Rax, the de-facto heads of the Imperial Military and the Imperial Remnants, and was placed under house arrest by the Imperial Security Bureau and was forced into making propaganda videos at gunpoint to raise the moral of the Imperial troops. Amedda had attempted suicide, but was stopped and special measures were made to stop him from doing so. During the final months of the Galactic Civil War, a group fo children were sent in to assassinate him by the New Republic, but they saw how broken he was and agreed to help him escape and aided him in having him leave Coruscant. Following the Battle of Jakku where Gallius Rax was killed along with most of the surviving Imperial Military leaders and the last remaining fleets of the Imperial Navy were destroyed, Mas Amedda finally had the chance to surrender and managed to make it to the singing of the Galactic Concordance where he represented the Galactic Empire. Wtth the defeat at the hands of the New Republic on Jakku, the Imperial Military was shattered, most of its leaders were killed, and the Empire had no longer possessed the needed resources to continue fighting and the remnants of the Empire officially surrendered following the signing of the Galactic Concordance by Mas Amedda and New Republic Chancellor, Mon Mothma. Post-Civil War and Legacy After the signing of the Galactic Concordance, the Galactic Empire had effectively collapsed and dissolved by 5 ABY sometime after the treaty had been signed. In accordance with the treaty, the Empire had abandoned its capital of Coruscant to the New Republic, abandoned its Imperial Military Academies, forbid the mobilization of Stormtroopers, and outlawed the act of torture. Mas Amedda was spared by the New Republic and wasn't put on trial unlike other surviving leaders and officials of the Imperial Military to be tried for war crimes committed during the Empire's reign and during the Galactic Civil War. Amedda stepped down from his position, but wasn't done with politics as he became the Grand Vizier of the Courscant Provisional Government, but his administration was rendered powerless by New Republic oversears and was nothing more but a figurehead in a powerless provisional government. After the end of the Galactic Civil War, the Cold War had began with the last surviving leaders, admirals, and officials of the shattered and now defunct Galactic Empire escaping from the clutches of the New Republic and gathered what remained from the Imperial Military to escape and flee into the Unknown Regions away from the New Republic. The surviving Imperials would form a new military government called the First Order and they would fight to restore the former Galactic Empire. After the war, Amedda was viewed as a coward and a lackey of Darth Sidious and a weak-willed participant in the Imperial establishment. The media in the New Republic portrayed him as a servant to the Sith Lord and his actions in signing the Galactic Concordance lead to the formation of the First Order and the eventual war between them and the Resistance years later. Legends Continuity Senate career In the years prior to the invasion of Naboo, Mas Amedda served as a senator in the Galactic Senate, representing his homeworld of Champala. He considered himself an honest politician and strove to voice the wants and needs of his people in the Senate. Amedda was a member of the Rim faction led by Orn Free Taa, and as such, was successfully nominated by Taa to be elected to the position of Vice Chair in 33 BBY. His main duties were to provide Taa's faction with a means of control over Chancellor Valorum, who had been weakened by a debacle at Eriadu and a scandal involving money laundering. The support of Valorum's policies in the Senate degenerated, which effectively paralyzed the Chancellor's government. Palpatine, as his alter-ego Darth Sidious, once sent Darth Maul on a mission to eliminate Amedda because he was gaining political power and could potentially stand in the way of Sidious's plan. Palpatine's need for Amedda's death, however, evaporated when Palpatine became Chancellor. Mas knew he couldn't become Chancellor himself, but he hoped to be able to manipulate the future Chancellor in order to aid the galactic populace. Then-Senator Palpatine claimed to Queen Amidala that Mas Amedda, like other politicians, was under the payroll of the Trade Federation; this remains unconfirmed. Mas Amedda in the Senate Rotunda in 32 BBY. Mas fed his ideas to Palpatine, and they would wind up being used by the Head of State. But Palpatine was truly manipulating the Speaker. Imperial Rule Amedda continued to serve during the Clone Wars, remaining in office even after the declaration of the Galactic Empire, acting as Palpatine's representative in the Senate. He was responsible for taking care of Palpatine's collection of Sith statues and decorations, having a fondness for antiques, presumably receiving a staff from the collection. This role included traveling to Yavin 4 to search for Sith relics; Amedda instead returned with some piranha beetles which delighted the Emperor. Following the Empire's formation he became one of the first members of the Inner Circle. Mace Windu suspected he might be Darth Sidious, but discovered his folly when the real Darth Sidious none other than Palpatine himself revealed himself and killed the Jedi Master. Sate Pestage and Mas Amedda, weeks into the Empire's reign. 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